Device for sealing fruit-cans and other receptacles.



PATBNTED MAR. 3, 1908.

A. M. BUTLER. DEVICE EOE sEALING EEUIT'GANS AND oTEEE EEGEPTAGLES.

APPLIOATION FILED HAY 6, 1907.

ALICE M. BUTLER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

DEVICE FOR SEALING FRUIT-GANS AND O'IHIEB.` RECEPTACLES.

lSpecification o! Letters Patent.

Patented March s, 190s. I

Application filed May 6, 1907. Serial No. 372,131.

To all whom it may concern: f

Be it known that I, ALICE M. BUTLER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland, county of'- Cuyahoga, State of 5 Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Sealing Fruit- Cans and other Receptacles, of which I here- .by declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, such .as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

The objects of the invention are to provide means for accurately sealing preserve jars, and packages which are required to be air tight, and the particular object is to provide an inner seal which will rotect the upper portion of -the sealed fluir and edges o the opening from the entrance of air, and which may be employed alone or in connection with some form of outer seal such as the rubber packing rings in ordinary use in con nection with a screw cap.

The ordinary fruit jar or Mason jar formed of glass is often rough or irregular in shape, and the joints formed in the mold in which it was cast are often imperfect and have a ridge which interferes with perfect closure when the ca is screwed down to its place. Hence the air in time will gradually find an entrance. To avoid these objectionable features, I employ a thin but substantially rigid disk which lies upon the upper edge of the opening in the jar or package and this disk is t ickly coated with arafiin wax or analogous material which will melt at a low degree of heat, and when the cap is screwed into its place the melting wax will percolateinto all crevices at the edgey of the opening, and seal the disk to the top of the can and also seal the cover to the can as it runs down over the edge of the can. The heat of the reserve and of the syrup in which it has been cooked Will be quite sufficient to accomplish the results desired.

The invention is exemplified inthe accompanying drawings, hereinafter described in detail and specifically pointed out in the claims.

U In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through a Mason jar showing the position of the disk and inner seal; F102 2 is a transverse section of the disk befPore use, and Fig. 3 is aplan view thereof.

5 In these views 1 is the jar, 2 the disk,

which is preferably formed of a somewhat porous material such as paper or wood veneer, and 3 is the parain coating which envclops the disk on its sides and edges, and 4 is the screw cap.

In use the jar is first filled full of the hot preserve and the disk is .laid cold uponthe fluid and upper edgeof the jar. The cap 4 is then screwed into place. In a few nioments the heat of the preserve will melt the wax which will settle upon the preserve, and edge of the jar, and will also fiow over the edge between the jar and cap and effectually seal all remaining crevices or points of separation between the jar and cover.

T he device is easily applied and does not re uii'e the muscular strength necessary to tighten the cap upon the usual rubber ring. It has the further advantage of providing a better seal. The coating upon the disk.may be of wax or of any non-fibrous material ada ted to melt at a low degree of heat..

I aving described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secu re by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a jar and cap, of a sealing device for the upper edge of the jar, said sealing device comprising a disk inclosed between said -eap and the upper edge of the jar and a coating thereon of. nonibrous material adapted to melt when the contents of the jar are heated and to cover the surface thereof and protect the same, from the air, substantially as described.

2. A sealing device for the 1purpose described, comprisinga rigid dis of porous material and an enveloping coating of nonfibrous material thereon adapted to be melted by the heated contents of the jai' and to cover said contents. l

3. The combination, with a jar and a ca therefor, of a rigid disk, the edges of whicli are ada ted to be inclosed between the said cap an the edges of the mouth of the jar, and to rest upon said jar mout-h and a coating upon said disk of paraffin, adapted to melt and seal the jar to the cover and to Vcover the surface of the contents thereof,

when said contents are heated.

In testimony whereof -l hereunto set my hand this 21st day of A )ril 1907.

AL CE M. BUTLER. In presence of- WM. M. MONROE, GEO.. O. WILLET. 

